US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, has been narrowly confirmed as the United States attorney general, the nation's top law enforcement official, following a 50-49 Senate vote on Saturday, August 8th, 2026.

Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April, and his confirmation ends a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration. The vote saw two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, join all Democrats in opposing his nomination. The deciding vote was cast by Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican known for his past acrimony with Trump, including voting to convict Trump during his second impeachment in 2021 related to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Concerns raised by some Republican senators during the confirmation process included Blanche's handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his involvement in establishing Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" fund. This fund was intended to compensate individuals alleging government persecution, but critics, including Murkowski, feared it might benefit those prosecuted for participating in the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress. Blanche pledged to walk back the fund following pushback.

Collins also expressed reservations about Blanche's role in settling Trump's $10 billion lawsuit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but ultimately trusted him to provide the president with candid legal advice.

After the vote, Blanche stated he was "deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me."

Sources